Not content with just giving Skull and Bones’ take on loot boxes a fancy pirate theme and calling it a day, Farren says it’s the goal of Ubisoft to make it feel natural within the world:
In which case the “loot” in loot box becomes quite literal. Players will effectively be looting merchandise from the trade waters of the Indian Ocean. It won’t be so realistic as recognizing which mercantile vessels are running low in the waters or recognizing their cargo based on which flags they’re running, but fighting another vessel, stealing its cargo, and then being surprised by the contents of the crates in its hold is better than the standard approach to loot.
While the likelihood of Skull and Bones’ loot system not being too different than other games in practice is uncertain, it’s interesting to hear Farren talk about his goals for the game. Making meaningful, positive changes to the current slot machine type loot boxes prevalent in the industry starts by recognizing the system’s inherent flaws. It starts by taking a more constructive approach to the system:
Of special note is Farren’s unwillingness to associate these treasure chests with microtransactions. He says that microtransactions aren’t part of the game yet, but does make comparisons to Overwatch. He says there are planned seasons and events, and that he wants lots of customization that isn’t necessarily gated behind having to pay money to acquire. It very much sounds like the same kind of loot boxes everyone knows and loves, just less immersion-breaking.
Skull and Bones is tentatively planned for release in mid-to-late 2018 for the PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One.
Source: GameSpot
